Anonymous on Horace: Carmina 1/11

The Complete Works of Horace / With a Literal Interlinear Translation (1894)
An illustration for: Nine Maxims On Translation
E Bruce Brooks / University of Massachusetts / 5 Dec 2002

Background: This interlinear text, which betrays by no hint who may have contributed the English parallel version, has reordered the Latin so as to correspond with English order. We simply copy out that version, to give the publisher's view (the David McKay Company's view) of the meaning of the poem. Here it is:

[The elements of these translations corresponding to the Latin oppositis and pumicibus, which in the original are separated by the verb debilitat, are shown in red for easier technical comparison].

Carmina 1/11

Leuconoe, enquire not - it is forbidden to know (it) - what term the gods have allotted to me, what to thee; nor consult the Chaldean tables. How much better (it is) to bear patiently whatever happens! Whether Jupiter grants (us) more winters, or (this is) the last which now breaks the force of the Tuscan sea on the opposing rocks; be wise, filter thy wines, and abridge lengthened hope (on account of) the short duration (of life). While we are conversing, jealous time will be gone. Enjoy the present, trusting as little as possible to the future.

"Chaldean tables" is a paraphrase of "Babylonian numbers," but not an inaccurate one. Other latitudes are less happy: "happens" is too wide for erit "shall be," "breaks" is too dramatic for debilitat "wears out," and "enjoy" is too mild for the more active carpe "pick." The part about not hoping for a longer life than one is likely to have is clumsily handled. Still, this is somewhere near the base version, the poem minus something of its prosodic voice and its syntactic tensions.

 

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